Circular-knitting machine for fabrics of changeable sizes.



R. W. SCOTT.

clRcuLAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR FABRICS 0F CHANGEABLE slzEs.

APPLICATION FILED IAN 29, i915. 19147924 Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

R. w. SCOTT. CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE FOR FABRICS 0F CHANGEABLE SIZES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29. 19.1.5 l

Patented July 20, 1915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ROBERT W. SCOTT, OF BVOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 SCOTT & WIIqLIAMS,l

INCORPORATED, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY. i

CIRCULAR-KNITTING- MACHINE FOR FABRICS OF CHANGEABLE SIZES.

.t Application meajJanuary 29, 1915. serial No. 5,157.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT WV. SCOTT, citizen of the United States, and resident of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Circular-Knitting Machines for Fabrics of Changeable Sizes, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to knitting machines having elements changeableto enable the production of fabric of any one of a number of widths.

Economic manufacture i,of knit fabrics in bulk for underwear and other uses has heretofore required circular knitting machines each roducing a seamless tube of fabric of liked size which can be utilizedfin an unbroken state for a great part of-certain garments, the manufacturer being compelled to provide for' knitting as many different sizes of such tubes as there are different customary sizes of garment demanded by the trade, which results in practise in his having on hand at least as many different machines. A great number of costly machines may thus stand' idle when there is no demand for the size of the tube made by them.

One object of my invention is to avoid the necessity for the provision yof-machines in so many different sizes.

Another object of my invention is to provide a base machine capable of coperation with a needle carrier or needle carriers of two or more different sizes .whereby a change in the size of the, product may be made by the replacement of the needle carriers only.

Other objects of my invention are to enable rapid and convenient conversion of a knitting machine from one size to a knitting-machine of another size, and to enable the common use of the devices for supporting, driving, adjusting and performing other usual functions of such machines in coperation with needle carriers for plain l.

knitting and needle carriers for rib knitting.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1-l Speciication of Letters Patent.

.bearing groove 2 therein for a rotary cam carrier 3, which in turn is provided with the usual crown bevel teeth 4 tol be driven by the customary bevel gear 5 and belt pulleys. rlhe driving devices preferably comprise change speed gearing G of any ordi; nary or usual type, whereby a standard driving speed at the belt pulleys may be varied for purposes mentioned below. x

T e upper surface of thebed-plate 1 is provided with a series of annular seats 6, concentric with groove 2, and preferably having one cylindrical face, each adapted to receive the bottom edge, shaped to fit said seats, of a. grooved needle carrier such as Patented July 20, 1915. i

cylinder 7 of which there may be a differcarrier 7. In order to cooperate with needle cylinders 7 of different diameters, changeable cam carrier means are provided for holding the cams to travel in `or near a'ny one of a number of different circular paths,

lto'contact with the needle butts when in corresponding positions determined by cyl inders of different diameter fitting in the seats 6. The preferred construction shown in the drawings comprises a series of4 carrier bars 11 seated in substantially radial seats 12 formed in lugs 13v on ring 3, said bars 11\ 100 having central slots 14 through which locking screws 16 tapped `into ring 3 pass. For

variation Aof the number of knitting points or waves, machines of the type shown being customarily operated as multiple feed machines, I' providea suflicient number of seats 12 for the variable positioning devices for the camsto accommodate the maximum number of yarn feeds ever to be used. For

one instance only, seats -12 are shown in and upper and lower surfaces at suitable angles to the axis of the machine corresponding to the desired form of wave in the needles, upon which cams 22, 23, 24, 25 are fastened. Said cams 22, 23, 24 and 25, which may be varied for the particular form desired to be given to the knitting wave by variations of the form of the head 15 of the slide 12, are adjustably attached to head 15, as by screws 26 in slots 27 of the cams. The length of the cams 23, 24 and 25 is suficient to enable those at the extremity of said head to be adjusted farther inward than those in the center thereof to correspond to the face of the smallest cylinder in use.

The advantages of my structure so far as it is described will immediately be apparent. nsteadof providing an actuator ring 3, having thereon turned cylindrical segments for one size needle cylinder only, 1 am enabled with minimum eEort and skill to mount the needle cylinder of the desired size on bed plate 1 and then individually to adjust the slides 11 to an operative position with respect to said cylinder..

A take-up mechanism shown generally at T, which may be of any approved form, a base or table A, and standards a, for supporting the bed plate 1, the driving and speed reducinggear, the bed plate 1 itself, and the rings 3 may for a large variety of sizes of product be of standard form and dimensions. Other Darts now made of variable size may be standardized by the adaptability of the described parts to the above mentioned changes, such as the ring 50 forming part of a stop-motion such as built under Letters .Patent to Scott & Swinglehurst, No. 679,641, dated July 30, 1901, indicated at 66. This device operates upon the occurrence of a fault at the needle cylinder, and may have detector mechanism D mounted upon ring 3 having an adjustable feeler finger ci such as that of Letters Patent to H. Swinglehurst 1,049,408 dated July 9, 1914, radially adjustable to contact with needles in carriers of different sizes.

At two or more points upon the ring 3 coming between seats 13 l may, for knitting ribbed fabric, erect posts 32 for the crossbar or arch 33 serving to support the sleeve 30, carrying for rotation the center spindle 34 carrying 1n turn support 29 for a needle dial 36, and a dial cam cap 35 fast tosleeve 30. 1t being necessary to hold the needle'cylinder and needle dial with their verges nearly in contact, there may be provided for each size cylinder dierent size of dial 36. But l save the duplication of parts of machines for different sizes of ribbed-products by making the cams for coperation .with needles carried in grooves in said needle-dials changeable in diameter in a manner similar to the variation in diameter of the cams for the cylinder needles. For this purpose ll prefer to provide dial cam cap 35 with al series of radial slots 3S corresponding in number to the number of seats 12. Communicating with each of said slots on the under side of said dial cap 35 a number of radial seats 39 are provided in which bars 40 are seated for radial adjustment by means of screws 41.

0n the lower face of the bars 40 segmental cams 44 are fastened, as by screws`42. These cam segments vmay define between them any approved form of cam groove for coperation with the butts of the dial needles held in the dial 36, such as shown in Fig. 3, for instance.

Cam cap 35 and ring 3 rotate together in the form of the machine shown, but it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to types of machines in which the needle carriers are the driven elements, the cams being stationary. In order to prevent the needle dial 3G from rotating with the cap 35 1 may make use of any approved device, preferably such as that shown (which is not a part of my invention), said device comprising an arm 55 fixed to the center spindle and needle dial, bolts 56, a cam and gearing 60 in a housing 61, said gearing being driven from teeth 4 for working said bolts 56 alternately into and out of recesses in arm 55 to permit free passage of the yarn tubes 62, the supports 63 for a bobbin-stand 64, an operating connection 65 from an overhead break-detecting stop-motion, etc. The movements given the bolts 56 of this device have heretofore been varied to meet the needs of the number of yarn-feeds, etc., to be provided for, but byV causing their operation for the passage, for instance, of each of the seats 12, a free passagewill be opened for.

any number of yarn feeds placed as above referred to at each second, third, fourth, sixth, eighth or twelfth seat, and no change need be made in the device for a variation in the number of yarns or connections corresponding to the varied number of feed points, the dial-holding device being provided of a standard form and operated at the same frequency for machines variable to knit many different sizes of product. rllhe radial position of the abutment formed by bolts 56, and the arm 55 may obviously be the same for di'erent sizesof needley carchange than to (hift the needle cylinder and riers, aiidithe dial cap S5, said arm 55, the

bobbin stand 64 rotating therewith,. yarn tubes 52, and said devices for holding'the dial stationary may all therefore be of a single standard size for use with any diameter of cylinder and dial between Wide limits.

The yarn feed guides 70 are preferably' carried by the slides 40 as shown, and it vvill beK understood that When the Amachine is adjusted for a change from one diameter to another diameter of needle carrier, no more Will be required of the person making the maximum output with safety to the fabric and the machine parts.

While I have illustrated the cam carriers in connection with knitting needles, it Will be understood that my inventionis not restrited to cam carriers for operating nee dles only, but may be adapted Without substantial change to coperation with other movable knitting instruments, such as jacks, Web-holders, loopers, or sinkers held for movement in carriers, cylinders or dials of different diameters, exchangeable to coperate with operating cams therefor carried by cam carriers corresponding to this disclosure.

What I claim is:

1. A circular 'knitting machine having means for supporting carriers of one or another. size for knitting instruments, camcarriers and operating cams for said instru.

ments, and means for supporting said oper-V ating cams on their carrier for adjustment ito different positions to coperate With one or with another of saidI carriers for the knitting instruments.

2. A circular knitting machine having means for supportingneedle carriers of different sizes, and a needle cam carrier having means for supporting-said. needle camsA in different positions f ocoperation With each different needle carrier.

3. A circular knitting machine having cam carrier means variable to support operatingl cams in contact with'the operating buttsj of needlesheld in circular carriers of different diameters.

4. A circular knitting machine having means for the concentric positioning of changeable needle carriers, cam carrier means, and adjustable devices carried by said cani carrier for supporting needle cams in operative contact with needle-carriers of dili'erent sizes, and means for rotating one of said carriers With respect to the other.

5. lA circular knitting machine having a bed-plate, concentric positioning meanson said bed-plate for needle carriers of differ-l ent sizes, a .cam carrier ring, and a' series of like movable needle cam supportingy devices mounted for radial adjustmenton said ring.

6. A knitting machine having a: rotatable carrier element,I and having .on a permanent part'Qof'said machine a series of rigid seats for changeable instrument-carriers defining' aseries of positibnsl accurately'fconcentric withA the -a'Xis' ofrotatioii of said rotatable-4 element..A -A knitting machine changeable to knit fabrics ofdiife'rent.. sizes comprising means.4 "8.0 riers respectively of differentsizes, a cooper# for concentrically .positioning needleoarating cam carrier, cams thereon', and means for adjusting said cams to coperat'e with p vneedle carriersl of each' respective size.

' 8. A knitting machine having arotatable cam-ring. provided with seats, carrier bars radiallyV adjustable in said seats, needle-cams on said carrier bars ,'and means adapted to. support needle carriers ofdifferent diame' ters concentriqally With respectto the aXis of rotation of said ring. i i

A9, A circular knitting machine adapted for use' With changeable needle-carriers of different size comprising a camcarrier, a cam support on said carrier, and needle cams adjustable on said support substantially to deiine segments of surfaces of revolution of different diameters.

10. A knitting machine having cam devices, adapted to 'coperate with circular instrument carriers of different size comprising a bar, a head on said bar, surfaces on said head, cam segments on said surfaces, means for adjusting said cam segments rela'- .tively to said head to definebetween them a cam track occupying a segment of a cylinder -of one or of another diameter, and means for adjusting 'said bar radially of said instru-- ment carrier. l

l1.l A rib knitting machine having in comiio bination cylinder and dial needle operating means radially adjustable With respect to a4 central axis for cooperation With needle carriers of a plurality of different sizes.

19.. A knitting machine having in combination a bed-plate, a' rotatable carrier-on said bed-pl ate, dial supporting means mounted on said carrier, and a dial cam cap mounted on said supporting means comprising needle-f5 cams adjustable to coperate with needle dials of a plurality of different diameters.

13. A knitting machine having in combination a series of concentric seats for a needle cylinder, a concentric cam carrier ring, a concentric support for needle dialsA of one or another diameter, a dial-cam cap; means on said carrier ring and said cam cap for supporting needle-operating cams in different adjustable concentric positions for coperation with changeable cylinders and dials, and means for causing relative movement between a Acylinder and said carrier ring and between a dial and said cam c'ap in unison for rib knitting.

14. A dial cam structure for knitting machines comprising a plate having seats extending outward from its center, adjustable' barsI and means for fastening them in said seats, and needle cams carried by said bars.

15. A knitting machine having in combination a cam carrier ring, seats on said ring, a plurality of adjustable carriers, for supporting cylinder needle -cams on said ring, a needle dial, a similar plurality o porting cylinder needle operating cams on said ring, a needle dial, a similar plurality I of seats on said needle dial and means in said seats for supporting dial needle oper-l ating cams, and means for driving said ring and said dial cam cap in unison comprising gearing capable of being varied to maintain a constant rate of relative movement between needle carriers and needle-cams working at different diameters.

17. A circular rib knitting machine having in combination cylinder and dial needle operating means radially adjustable with respect to a central axis for coperation with needle carriers of a plurality of dierent sizes, in combination with dial-holding means comprising a needle dial support, an element -ixed with respect to said support, and holding means coperating with said element at a fixed radial distance from the center of said machine.

In testimony whereof, T have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HELENl M. SWEENEY, JOHN JI.. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ive cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, JD. 0. 

